Armenia goes to the polls on 7 June in parliamentary elections that carry consequences well beyond its borders, as the small South Caucasus nation navigates a profound geopolitical realignment — away from its former patron Russia and toward Europe and the West. Nineteen political forces are contesting the vote, but the contest has effectively been framed as a referendum on the country's future orientation: between continued integration with the European Union under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party, and a return to Moscow's orbit championed by a fractured but vocal opposition.
Passhinyan, who rose to power through the 2018 Velvet Revolution — a peaceful popular uprising that toppled the old political establishment — is seeking a third term and leads comfortably in polls. He has made Armenia's painful